WHO WROTE:  Moses.  This Book was written by Moses in Midian: “The long years spent amid desert solitudes were not lost.  Not only was Moses gaining a preparation for the great work before him, but during this time, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote the Book of Genesis and also the Book of Job, which would be read with the deepest interest by the people of God until the close of time.”  ST, February 19, 1880.

 

 

WHAT TIME PERIOD IS COVERED:  B.C. 2007-1832 (see my Job 32:2 Note).  It is supposed that it is in the time period of the patriarchs; for there is no mention of Israel or of other gods (meaning the Book takes for granted that there is only One God).  However, the Book does speak of sacrifices (Job 1:5; 42:8); which puts it in and pointing to the time period of Abraham.  The Book also depicts the Sabeans and Chaldeans as nomads (Job 1:15 & 17); whereas, in later Biblical accounts they are in well-established communities.  Also, Job’s daughters were heirs of the estate along with their brother (Job 42:15); which was not the case after the giving of the Mosaic Law (Num. 27:8).

 

According to Job 42:16, “After this lived Job an hundred and forty years.”  If, as some have reasoned, that Job was about 60 years of age when the calamities finished, this would put him about 200 years old.  And since Terah, Abraham’s father lived to be 205 years of age, we can safely place Job’s time period somewhere in this era.

 

 

WHEN WRITTEN:  B.C. 1559 - B.C. 1519.

 

 

INTRODUCTION:  Contrary to most Bible commentators, it is God Who challenges Satan, as opposed to those who believe Satan challenged God.  See Job 1:8 & 2:3.  The purpose of this Book is to teach Job not to assume he knows everything about God’s dealings; God is always in control; even Satan cannot know the true faithfulness of God’s servants, to prove him wrong in the philosophy of life; in other words, this is a message to all the watching and studying cosmos for all time.

 

The meaning of Job’s name is, “he that weeps and cries.”  This Book is the greatest production of the Hebrew Wisdom literature, and one of the supreme literary creations of the world.  As to the character of the Book, it is a historical poem, one of the greatest and sublime poems in all of literature.  Its place in the Hebrew Canon corresponds to the high estimation in which it was held.  It stands in the 3rd section of the “writings,” or the “Hagiographa,” next after the two greater anthologies, the Books of Psalms and Proverbs.  In the Greek Canon (which ours follows), it is put with the poetical books, standing at their head.

 

God asked Job eighty-four (84) questions; none of which were answered by Job; but all of which made Job contemplate and adjust his reasoning powers.  When God is speaking, be quite and listen in order to contemplate.

 

The fact that Ezekiel mentions “Job” along with “Noah” and “Daniel,” in Ezekiel 14:14 & 20, and also James, in 5:11, gives credence to the fact that Job was a real person and that this is not some parable or story for learning character building.  Another conformation that Job was a historical person is confirmed by the fact that the localities and names were real and not fictitious.  This Book was apparently well known in the days of Ezekiel (see Eze. 14:14).  The Book is also referenced (see Heb. 12:5 and 1Co. 3:19 which quote from it), making It form a part of the sacred Scriptures.

 

According to Job 6:10:  Where does Job get his wisdom from?  Obviously, God.  According to Job 15:10, Job’s friends are relying on the wisdom of their years.  However, let’s discover where do Job’s friends really acquire their information from.  Before I show you that, I would like to make a statement I learned from Chuck Missler:  “We have seen two kinds of speakers:  Those with something to say [and] Those that have to say something.  Job’s three friends are of the second kind.”

 

Eliphaz (4:12-16):  His name means, “God [is his] his strength.”  He supposedly received his information from “a spirit passed before my face.”  We have no assurance that this was a genuine revelation.  The Bible nowhere even suggests that Eliphaz possessed the prophetic gift, and therefore, had this been a vision from the Lord we might well have heard Eliphaz say or prophecy so.

 

If Eliphaz was a prophet he did not use his gift when he made the statements found in Job 15:5-6:  “(5) For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity [which Job did not:  “In all this did not Job sin with his lips,” we learned that in Job 2:10], and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty [again, not a good characterization of Job]. (6) Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I [actually Eliphaz is condemning Job]:  yea, thine own lips testify against thee [again, Job 2:10 says differently].”

 

Also, Job himself is leery of these supposed visions (see Job 7:14).  Since Satan can give us dreams also, and Eliphaz was the first to speak to his friend Job, and by Eliphaz’s own admittance of dreams and visions (see Job 4:12-16), Job had every right to be concerned about the source of them.  To Eliphaz’s credit, his language is not as harsh as the others.

 

Bildad (8:8-10):  Received his wisdom from “the former age,” or teachings of the fathers or ancients.

 

Zophar (20:2-3).  Received his wisdom from “the spirit of my understanding,” meaning his own common sense.

 

Elihu (33:3).  Received his wisdom from, “My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart,” meaning self-trust, or, in other words, according to his own inward conviction or his own wisdom.  To his credit, his own personal integrity would not be the subject of his discourse.  Perhaps Elihu was the more anxious to make his points entirely clear, because the three friends of Job might be -- supposed by him -- to have laid themselves open to the suspicion that they were influenced by passion or prejudice; or that they had maintained their opinions from mere obstinacy and not from conviction; and that they had been disposed to prejudice.  Elihu claims that all that he was about to say would be entirely sincere; but that would be coming from his own heart; hopefully inspired, but not necessarily inspired by God.  He also claims to receive “knowledge from afar,” Job 36:3.  Where this originates from, we are not told.  However, according to Job 42:7, Elihu is the only one who is not rebuked by God.

 

We must take particular notice that Job’s friends talk about God.  Whereas, Job talks to God.  As theologians go, Job then is the one to be listened to.  His friends have some truth.  But it must be measured against spiritual truth.

 

The Book of Job has an interesting phenomenon in the translation of a particular Hebrew word.  Job 1:5 is translated: “cursed God in their hearts.”  Job 1:11 & 2:5 is translated: “curse Thee to Thy face.”  Job 2:9 is translated: “curse God, and die.”  In each case the Hebrew word used for “curse[d]” is “barak,” which comes from the root word, “brk.”  It really means, “bless.”  This is the same root as used in Genesis 1:22 and Psalm 66:8, which truly mean, “bless.”

 

Why then is the same verb which means “bless” translated as “curse” in the Book of Job?  Because the context demands this meaning of “curse.”  Biblical scholars believe that it’s what they call a “euphemism.”  The reasoning is that they conjecture that the idea of anyone writing down the concept of “cursing” God would be too offensive to any author’s religious sensibilities.  The same can be seen in First Kings 21:10 & 13, where the word translated as “blaspheme” is also from “brk,” meaning “bless.”

 

Although not associated with Jewish history at all, such as the rest of Scripture, God’s Law is referenced in this Book (see Job. 22:22).  It is also important to notice that earthly wealth at this time was reckoned in livestock.  Compare Job 1:3; 42:12; with Genesis 12:16; 13:2; 30:43; 32:5.

 

The Name of God used by Job 31 times in this Book is “Shaddai.”  It is only used 17 other times in the Old Testament.  It was a Name familiar to the patriarchs (Gen. 17:1; Exo 6:3).

 

God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can handle (1Co. 10:13).  Job had boils (2:7); itching (2:8); facial degenerative skin (compare 2:7 with 2:12); loss of appetite (3:24); depression (3:24-25); worms in boils (7:5); hardened skin and running sores (7:5); nightmares (7:14); difficulty in breathing (9:18); dark eyelids, failing vision (16:16); foul breath (19:17); rotting teeth (19:20); loss of weight, anorexia (19:20; 33:21); continual pain (30:17); restlessness (30:27); peeling, blackened skin, fever (30:30); and any more I may have missed; all lasting for several months (7:3; 29:2).

 

Job’s problem, if there be one, for he was perfect (1:1 & 8; 2:3; 10:7); sinless (1:21); upright and clean (2:3; 11:4); righteous (6:29; 29:14); and therefore, his problem was that he was basically claiming to know everything except the justice of God (9:2-3), not realizing he has a Mediator (“daysman,” 9:33) in Christ; apparently Job only way of leaning this was, as with most of us, through suffering.